Escapee Recaptured After Holdup
A convicted thief escaped from Ventura County Jail on Friday night, only to be arrested half an hour later on suspicion of robbing a nearby supermarket, investigators said.
Lawrence C. Kilszewski, 24, of Utah was on a supervised work detail outside the jail when he slipped away just after 9 p.m., sheriff’s deputies said.
About 30 minutes later, Kilszewski entered the Vons supermarket on Telephone Road--less than half a mile from the jail--and told the manager he had a gun and had planted a bomb in the building, Ventura police said.
After getting cash from the store safe, the robber then ordered the manager to take him to the manager’s car parked outside, police said. The manager escaped in the parking lot and Kilszewski was arrested nearby.
Kilszewski, who was serving a jail sentence for grand theft, is now being held on suspicion of kidnaping, robbery, making a bomb threat, and escape, police said.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
